Aligning Ramp for Aligning a Shipping Container Loaded on a Vehicle, and Combination of a Shipping Container Loaded on a Vehicle and the Aligning Ramp

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an aligning ramp for aligning a shipping container loaded on a vehicle, the aligning ramp including: a support structure; guiding means supported by the support structure above a base plane, which guiding means includes at least two guides arranged parallel and at a distance from each other, wherein each guide diverges relative to the base plane from a first position to a second position; an elongate carriage, wherein each end of the elongate carriage is guided by a guide of the guiding means; and connecting means arranged in longitudinal direction at a central position to the elongate carriage.

Aligning ramp for aligning a shipping container loaded on a vehicle, andcombination of a shipping container loaded on a vehicle and the aligningramp

The invention relates to an aligning ramp for aligning a shippingcontainer loaded on a vehicle, the aligning ramp comprising:

a support structure;

guiding means supported by the support structure above a base plane,which guiding means comprise at least two guides arranged parallel andat a distance from each other, wherein each guide diverges relative tothe base plane from a first position to a second position; and

an elongate carriage, wherein each end of the elongate carriage isguided by a guide of the guiding means.

Such an aligning ramp is known from the A2 publication of internationalapplication WO 2007/149443. The publication describes the use of analigning ramp to vertically align a shipping container, while beingloaded on a vehicle, adjacent to a loading assembly such that it can befilled by the assembly. The aligning ramp comprises two guides and acarriage running in the guides.

The vehicle with the shipping container is backed towards the aligningramp and is connected to the ramp in cavities using connecting blocks,which are fixed to the shipping container. The guides are diverging fromthe surface above which the aligning ramp is arranged, and as aconsequence of the connection of the shipping container to the guidesthrough the carriage, the shipping container is shifted and therebyaligned along the path of the guide when the shipping container isfurther backed.

The aligning ramp according to WO 2007/149443 requires relativelyprecise maneuvering of the vehicle and the shipping container toproperly position the connecting blocks, which may be a lengthy andinefficient process. It also requires each of the shipping containers tobe used in combination with the aligning assembly to be provided withconnecting blocks, which is costly, and may also provide a safety riskdue to protruding parts. In addition, this aligning ramp may only beused for shipping containers with a relatively small variety of widths,since too small or too large containers may not be able to reach both ofthe cavities in the carriage at the same time or may even cause damageto the aligning ramp.

It is thus an object of the invention to alleviate or even obviate theabove-mentioned disadvantages.

This object is achieved by an aligning ramp according to the preamble,comprising connecting means arranged in longitudinal direction at acentral position to the elongate carriage.

The aligning ramp according to the invention is also used to shift andthereby vertically align a shipping container loaded on a vehicle, suchthat it can be filled by an adjacent loading assembly when backed upalong the guides of the aligning ramp. The aligning ramp also comprisestwo guides and a carriage running in the guides, but is, unlike theprior art, provided with connecting means in a central position to thecarriage. As a consequence, less precise positioning and thusmaneuvering is required and it is also no longer required to provide theshipping container with connecting blocks, since the connecting meansinteract with the container itself. It is also possible to use the samealigning ramp in combination with shipping containers with a largervariety of widths, since the aligning ramp no longer relies on thecarriage ends for connection.

In a preferred embodiment of the aligning ramp according to theinvention, the connecting means comprise a connecting plate forconnecting to the bottom of a shipping container, which connecting plateis parallel to the guides and the longitudinal axis of the carriage.

Connecting means which comprise a connecting plate that connects to thebottom of a shipping container are simple and thus cheap in constructionand provide a support surface for the shipping container. The connectingplate may be either flat, or L-shaped. In both cases, the connectingplate is at least partly parallel to the guides along the positionstaken in the guides.

The connection of the connecting plate may be either directly to thebottom of the container itself. This is especially advantageous when thecontainer extends from the back of the chassis of the vehicle on whichthe shipping container is loaded. The connection may however also be toa part of the chassis of the vehicle on which the shipping container isloaded, which part is parallel to the bottom of the shipping container.

The connecting plate may be provided with strengthening ribs on asurface opposite to the surface connecting to the shipping container.The strengthening ribs preferably extend perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the carriage.

In a further preferred embodiment of the aligning ramp according to theinvention, the connecting plate is provided with an abutment wallarranged perpendicular to the connecting plate and parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the carriage.

The abutment wall enhances the grip and facilitates a tilting movementof the shipping container towards the connecting plate parallel to theguides. In another preferred embodiment of the aligning ramp accordingto the invention, each guide comprises a guide rail, preferably with aC-shaped cross-section, and each end of the elongate carriage isprovided with at least one roller for running on the corresponding guiderail.

Guides comprising guide rails are reliable and cheap and may be easilyintegrated in a support structure of the aligning ramp. Guide rails witha C-shaped cross-section have the advantage that the roller may belargely covered and thereby protected in the guide rail, while the axleof the roller extends through the opening in the C-shape to connect theroller to the other parts of the carriage.

In yet another preferred embodiment of the aligning ramp according tothe invention, the at least two guides are provided beyond the secondposition with a guide part parallel to the base plane.

The provision of the guides with a guide part lengthens the path of theguide with a part parallel to the base plane and ensures proper verticalalignment of the shipping container adjacent to for instance a loadingassembly, and thereby eases the insertion of a pusher plate of such aloading assembly.

In even another preferred embodiment of the aligning ramp according tothe invention, the at least two guides have a linear gradient betweenthe first and second position.

A linear gradient of the guides ensures a smooth, uniform and stableshifting of the shipping container on the aligning assembly.

In again another preferred embodiment of the aligning ramp according tothe invention, the angle between the base plane and the at least twoguides having a linear gradient is between 20° and 30°, preferably 25°.

When the gradient between the first and the second position is linear,it is important that the angle is not chosen too low, since it increasesthe length of the aligning ramp in order to achieve the desiredalignment. On the other hand, an angle which is too high results ininstability of the shipping container on the ramp and the requirement ofhigh efforts to push the shipping container upward along the ramp. Ithas been found that the aligning ramp is both stable, easy to use andrelatively compact by choosing the angle the gradient and the base planebetween 20° and 30°, and preferably 25°.

Another preferred embodiment of the aligning ramp according to theinvention, further comprises a loading assembly arranged to the supportstructure in line with the guide means on the side of the secondposition, which loading assembly comprises a pusher plate movable in adirection perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the carriage.

Such loading assemblies which are used for loading the aligned shippingcontainer with bulk material, of which examples are known from forinstance WO 2007/149443 A2, but also from US 2011/182705 A1 or GB2451631 A, transport a significant load over a significant distancewhich is most often at least equal to the length of the shippingcontainer connected to it. Integration of the aligning ramp with theloading assembly in general increases the stability of the loadingassembly, due to the weight of the shipping container supported on thealigning ramp. The bulk material may for instance be waste.

In general, in each of the embodiments of the aligning ramp, the supportstructure is preferably supported on the lower floor and may comprise atube frame. The tube frame preferably comprises a flat bottom plate,lying in the base plane, for maximum support.

The guides are preferably provided with blocking means in order toprevent the carriage from running off the guides. These blocking meansmay comprise end stops arranged adjacent to at least one extremity ofthe guides.

In a further preferred embodiment of the aligning ramp, the aligningramp further comprises at least one auxiliary connection block with aconnection pin for attaching to twistlock attachment points on acontainer, which connection block is moveably arranged along thecarriage.

This allows for easy additional securing of the container to thealigning ramp. This is especially beneficial in situations where thecontainer does not extend at the back from the chassis of the vehicle ifthe chassis itself does not provide sufficient strength for attachment.

The invention further relates to a combination of a shipping containerloaded on a vehicle and an aligning ramp according to the invention,wherein the connecting means of the loading ramp are connected to thebottom of the shipping container.

These and other features of the invention will be elucidated inconjunction with the accompanying figures.

FIG. 1 shows a first perspective view of a first embodiment of analigning ramp according to the invention with the carriage arranged inthe first position of the guiding means.

FIG. 2 shows a second perspective view of the embodiment according toFIG. 1.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show side views of the embodiment according to FIG. 1 incombination with a shipping container loaded on a vehicle.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of an aligningramp according to the invention showing the carriage in both the firstposition and a position beyond the second position of the guiding means.

FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C show perspective views of a third embodiment of analigning ramp according to the invention showing the carriage in thefirst position of the guiding means.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of an aligning ramp 1 according to theinvention which may be used to vertically align a shipping container.The aligning ramp 1 comprises a support structure 2 and two guidingrails 3, 4 facing each other with their open ends, at a distance of eachother, which are fixed to and supported by the support structure 2. Theguiding rails 3, 4 are arranged above and at a distance of a base plane5. The guiding rails 3, 4 diverge with a linear gradient relative to thebase plane 5 between a first position 6 and a second position 7. Theguiding rails 3, 4 each comprise guide parts 8, 9, parallel to the baseplane 5 beyond the second position 7.

An elongate carriage 10 extends between the guiding rails 3, 4. Theelongate carriage 10 comprises two sets 11, 12 of rollers, running onthe respective guide rails 3, 4. The carriage 10 is provided with anL-shaped connecting plate 13, 14 comprising a first leg 13 which isparallel to the guide rails 3, 4 and the longitudinal axis of thecarriage 10, as well as a second leg 14, perpendicular to the first leg13 and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the carriage 10. The secondleg 14 is provided with an abutment wall 15, extending from the secondleg 14 towards the shipping container, parallel to the first leg 13. Theconnecting plate 13, 14, 15 may connect to the bottom of a shippingcontainer (as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B).

FIG. 2 shows another perspective view of the aligning ramp 1 and adetail of this perspective view. From FIG. 2, it is also clear that theconnecting plate 13, 14 is provided with ribs 16, extending over theback of the legs 13, 14 of the connecting plate that connects to theshipping container.

FIGS. 3A and 3B shows the aligning ramp 1 which is fixed to a loadingassembly 17. The loading assembly 17 is provided with a pusher plate 18,driven by a cylinder 19, movable in a direction perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the carriage 10.

FIG. 3A shows the aligning ramp 1 with a shipping container 100, loadedon a chassis 101 of a vehicle with wheels 102, in an unaligned position.The body of the shipping container 100 approaches the connecting plate13, 14. When the container 100 is backed up further, the connectingplate 13, 14 connects to the bottom of the container 100, and, becauseof the connection of connection plate 13, 14 with the guides 3, 4through carriage 10 and roller sets 11, 12, the container 100 will shifttowards a position shown in FIG. 3B, in which the container 100 isshifted and aligned to the loading assembly 17, whereas the wheels 102and the chassis are suspended in the ramp 1, at a distance from thefloor 200.

It can also be seen from FIG. 3B that the angle a between the base plane5, which coincides with the floor 200, and the two guides 3, 4 is 25°.

An alternative embodiment of an aligning ramp 30 is shown in FIG. 4. Inthis figure, the range of motion of the carriage 31 is shown, i.e. thecarriage 31 is shown in the same figure in both extreme positions 32,33. The present embodiment 30 is similar to the first embodiment 1, but,inter alia, has a carriage 31 which is only provided with an openconnecting plate 34 which lacks an abutment wall.

Another alternative embodiment of an aligning ramp 40 is shown in FIGS.5A, 5B and 5C. In the embodiment in these figures, the aligning ramp 40comprises two auxiliary connection blocks 41, 42, moveable in directionA, B along a connecting beam 43, around which the blocks 41, 42 aremounted. Both connection blocks 41, 42 comprise a pin 44, 45 attachableto twistlock attachment points 46, 47 on the edges of container 48 andthus serve as an additional safeguard for securing the container 48 onthe ramp 40.

1. An aligning ramp for aligning a shipping container loaded on avehicle, the aligning ramp comprising: a support structure; guidingmeans supported by the support structure above a base plane, whichguiding means comprise at least two guides arranged parallel and at adistance from each other, wherein each guide diverges relative to thebase plane from a first position to a second position; an elongatecarriage, wherein each end of the elongate carriage is guided by a guideof the guiding means, and connecting means arranged in longitudinaldirection at a central position to the elongate carriage.
 2. Thealigning ramp according to claim 1, wherein the connecting meanscomprise a connecting plate for connecting to the bottom of a shippingcontainer, which connecting plate is parallel to the guides and thelongitudinal axis of the carriage.
 3. The aligning ramp according toclaim 2, wherein the connecting plate is provided with an abutment wallarranged perpendicular to the connecting plate and parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the carriage.
 4. The aligning ramp according toclaim 1, wherein each guide comprises a guide rail, preferably with aC-shaped cross-section, and wherein each end of the elongate carriage isprovided with at least one roller for running on the corresponding guiderail.
 5. The aligning ramp according to claim 1, wherein the at leasttwo guides are provided beyond the second position with a guide partparallel to the base plane.
 6. The aligning ramp according to claim 1,wherein the at least two guides have a linear gradient between the firstand second position.
 7. The aligning ramp according to claim 6, whereinthe angle between the base plane and the at least two guides having alinear gradient is between 20° and 30°.
 8. The aligning ramp accordingto claim 1, further comprising a loading assembly arranged to thesupport structure in line with the guide means on the side of the secondposition, which loading assembly comprises a pusher plate movable in adirection perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the carriage.
 9. Thealigning ramp according to claim 1, further comprising at least oneauxiliary connection block with a connection pin for attaching totwistlock attachment points on a container, which connection block ismoveably arranged along the carriage.
 10. The combination of a shippingcontainer loaded on a vehicle and an aligning ramp according to claim 1,wherein the connecting means of the loading ramp are connected to thebottom of the shipping container.
 11. The aligning ramp according toclaim 6, wherein the angle between the base plane and the at least twoguides having a linear gradient is 25°.
 12. The aligning ramp accordingto claim 2, wherein each guide comprises a guide rail, preferably with aC-shaped cross-section, and wherein each end of the elongate carriage isprovided with at least one roller for running on the corresponding guiderail.
 13. The aligning ramp according to claim 3, wherein each guidecomprises a guide rail, preferably with a C-shaped cross-section, andwherein each end of the elongate carriage is provided with at least oneroller for running on the corresponding guide rail.
 14. The aligningramp according to claim 2, wherein the at least two guides are providedbeyond the second position with a guide part parallel to the base plane.15. The aligning ramp according to claim 3, wherein the at least twoguides are provided beyond the second position with a guide partparallel to the base plane.
 16. The aligning ramp according to claim 4,wherein the at least two guides are provided beyond the second positionwith a guide part parallel to the base plane.
 17. The aligning rampaccording to claim 2, wherein the at least two guides have a lineargradient between the first and second position.
 18. The aligning rampaccording to claim 3, wherein the at least two guides have a lineargradient between the first and second position.
 19. The aligning rampaccording to claim 4, wherein the at least two guides have a lineargradient between the first and second position.
 20. The aligning rampaccording to claim 5, wherein the at least two guides have a lineargradient between the first and second position.